Edward vowed that he would
build a new church should he ever return as
England's king following his exile in Normandy;
hence he rebuilt the Saxon church at Westminster
with a new church in the Norman style. This was
consecrated in December 1065; Edward died the
following January and was buried before the high
altar. Following miracles, William the Conqueror
raised a stone gilded and jewelled tomb over the
grave. After Edward's canonization, a shrine
was prepared by Henry II to which the earlier
King's remains were translated in 1163. The
Abbey was rebuilt by King Henry III and Edward's
body moved to a newly prepared shrine in 1269,
the lower part of which can be seen today. This
is of Purbeck marble decorated with mosaic, the
chief artist being Peter the Roman.
Above this base was the golden shrine
containing the King's coffin. In the lower part
of the shrine are the recesses in which sick
persons knelt. At the dissolution the shrine was
despoiled of its relicts, gold and jewels and
Edward's coffin buried elsewhere. Under Queen
Mary the coffin was replaced and the shrine
rebuilt although it was again later despoiled of
its wealthy trappings.In the old church Queen
Edith (d.1075) , Edward's wife, was buried near
her husband's tomb. There are no records of her
coffin being moved. Also in this area was buried
his great grand niece Maud (or Edith) daughter
of Malcolm Canmore, King of Scotland. Also the
heart of Henry of Almayne, son of Richard, Earl
of Cornwall, who was murdered by his cousin Guy
de Montford.For recent
investigation of this area of the Abbey and
recently discovered graves click
here.

He was
the son of King
John whom he succeeded as a boy in 1216; he
was first crowned a Gloucester, and four years
later at Westminster Abbey itself. Henry
was responsible forrebuilding the Abbey and
almost all of the building west of Henry VIII
chapel belongs to this reign. He built a shrine
to Edward the Confessor to which the king's body
was translated in 1269. Henry was originally
buried before the high altar in a grave which
had been that of Edward the Confessor but
nineteen years later translated to the present
tomb which was built by his son, Edward I. He
heart was buried at Fontevraud but there is no
monument there.
The King's tomb consists of a Purbeck Marble
base of two stages, into the sides of which are
set slabs of Italian porphyry; it was inlaid
with mosaic gilded and brightly coloured with
tesserae of red and green porphyry, marble and
glass, much of which have been stolen. On the
side of the tomb nearest the Confessor's shrine
are arched recesses which may have contained
relics of the saint.The effigy is of gilded
cast bronze and was made by Master William
Torel, who also made that of Queen Eleanor.
The face would seem to be an idealized likeness
of the King. His head lies on a double cushion
on which are decorated, as is the top of the
tomb, with lions of England. The gablet is now
missing. An iron grille - by Master Henry of
Lewes - once protected the tomb and the
wooden canopy was once gilded and painted.The original Norman-French
inscription around the edge of the tomb remains
and in translation reads: 'Here lies Henry,
sometime King of England, Lord of Ireland and
Duke of Aquitaine, the son of King John,
sometime King of England: on whom God may have
mercy. Amen.'

He succeeded his father
Henry III in 1272 and became the first king to
be crowned in the new Abbey. He built the tomb
of Henry (see above) and also that of his first
wife Queen Eleanor (see below). He aso
deposited the famous Scone of Scone,on which the
Scottish kings had been crowned, in the
Abbey although it was returned to Scotland
at the end of the 20th century. He died in July
1307 at Burgh-on-the-Sands, Cumberland, on his
final campaign against the Scots and his body
was brought back to England, where it lay at
Waltham Abbey, Essex, near the grave of King
Harold II, for about fifteen weeks. In October
the late King's body was brought back to London
where it lay for three succesive nights in the
churches of Holy Trinity, St Paul's and Friars
Minor before being brought to the Abbey for
burial.
The tomb chest is plain and consists of grey
marble slabs, joined without mortar, on a stone
base; there was never an effigy. There was once
a wooden canopy over it and an iron grille
between it and the ambulatory, but these are now
lost. On the ambulatory side is painted 'Edward
Primus Scotorum Malleus' and 'Pactum
Serva'. ('Edward I Hammer of the Scots' and
'Keep Troth') although these were probably added
in the mid XVI century.
In 1774 the tomb was opened to reveal a Purbeck
marble coffin in which lay the King wrapped in a
waxed linen cloth, his face being covered by
crimson face cloth. Below this the King wore his
royal robes, holding a rod and scepter and
wearing a crown on this head. Below these robes
there was a closely fitting wax cloth. He was
found to be 6' 2" tall: hence his nickname
Longshanks.

Eleanor
of Castile was the first wife of Edward I. She
died at Harby, Nottinghamshire and Edward raised
the 'Eleanor Crosses' at the points where the
funeral procession rested on its journey to
Westminster. Three monuments were raised over
Eleanor's remains: as above at Westminster; at
Lincoln
(containing her entrails), of which only the
tomb chest remains; and at Blackfriars, London
(containing her heart) which was totally
destroyed at the Dissolution.Master William Torel
of London cast the beautiful gilt-bronze effigy.
Her right hand once held a sceptre. The pillows
and the top of the tomb are covered with the
castles of Castile and the lions of Leon. The
metalwork was finished by William Sprot and
John de Ware. Around the top is a
Norman-French inscription which, on translation,
reads:Here lies Eleanor,
sometime Queen of England, wife to King Edward,
son to King Henry, and daughter of the King of
Spain and Countess of Ponthieu, on whose soul
may God in His pity have mercy. Amen.The woodwork was carried
out by Master Thomas de Hokyntone.
However the canopy, which was painted by
Master Walter of Durham, has been replaced.On the ambulatory side
(not shown) is a iron grille by Master
Thomas of Leighton Buzzard.The Purbeck marble tomb
chest is by Master Richard of Crundale.
The shields hung on branches of trees bear the
arms of England, Castile quartering Leon and
Ponthieu.Below the chest, and
visible from the ambulatory, is a painting
(perhaps by Master Walter of Durham) of Sir Otes
de Grandison (who rescued Edward in the Holy
Land and who died in 1328) kneeling before the
Virgin and Child and four pilgrims praying
before the Holy Sepulchre

King
Edward III's tomb is of Purbeck
marble around which are niches which originally
contained bronze effigies of Edward and
Philippa's children but only six of these (on
the south side) remain: Edward the Black Prince;
Joan of the Tower; Lionel, Duke of Clarence;
Lionel, Duke of York; Mary of Brittany; and
William of Hatfield. (see below) Their arms were
on enamelled shields at their feet but only four
remain. On the base on the ambulatory side (as
shown) are enamelled shields with the arms of
England and St George. The effigy, around which
runs a Latin rhyming inscription, is of
gilt-bronze; the face is thought to be based on
a death mask but the hair and beard are
idealised.The wooden canopy over the
tomb may be by Master Hugh Herland.

Queen Philippa of Hainhault
was the wife of Edward III. The tomb is of
marble by Hennequin de Liege.
Most of the weepers have been lost. The effigy
is of alabaster - almost certainly a portrait.
(compare the idealized effigy of Eleanor) Again
the scepter, which has been held in the right
hand has been lost. The columns at the side of
the effigy formerly contained small figures. The
tomb is covered by a wooden canopy. An iron
grille, from St Paul's Cathedral, formerly
protected the tomb. There were originally
seventy figures made by John Orchard of
London, bronze worker who also erected
and repaired the grille.

Richard
was deposed in 1399 by his cousin, Henry
Bolinbroke, Duke of Lancaster, and imprisoned in
Pontefract Castle, where he was probably
murdered. Henry became king as Henry IV.
Richard's body was taken to St Paul's, where it
was displayed publicly for three days to show
that the former king was indeed dead. He was
then buried at King's Langley in Hertfordshire.
In 1413 King Henry V, in order to make amends for his father's deposition
of Richard, ordered Richard's body be translated
to Westminster where he was buried in the tomb
that he had had constructed for himself and his
queen, Anne, who had died earlier. Anne had died
in the Palace of Sheen and Richard had been so
overcome with grief at her death that he had the
building torn down.The tomb is similar to
that of Edward III. It is by masons Henry
Yelele and Stephen Lote and by coppersmiths
Nicholas Broker and Godfrey Prest, all
of London. The effigies are of gilt bronze and
are almost certainly portraits: compare the
portrait of a younger Richard which can be seen
in the Nave. The King and Queen originally held
hands. Richard wears his coronation robes. The
effigies are incised all over with various
badges: on Richard's cape is the Plantagenet
plant; also can be seen the white hart, the
sunburst, the two-headed imperial eagle and the
lion of Bohemia. The top of the tomb is
decorated with fleurs-de-lys, lions and eagles.There used to be twelve
gilt images of saints and eight angels as well
as enamelled coats of arms around the tomb.On the inside of the
wooden canopy over the tomb are painted Christ
in Majesty, the Coronation of the Virgin and
Queen Anne's arms, the painter being John
Hardy. A rhyming inscription in Latin is
painted around the edge of the canopy.

King
Henry died at Viencennes in August, only 34
yearsof age. His body was embalmed and rested
for a while in Rouen Cathedral. His body was
then brought from France to Dover and from there to
London to lie in state in St Paul's Cathedral.
He was buried in the Abbey in November.
The tomb, which is situated in a chantry chapel,
was not finished until 1431. It consists of
a Purbeck marble tomb chest which has now lost
its decoration. The effigy consisted of a head,
hands,scepter of silver and silver gilt plates
covered the oak body. These were all stolen in
1545 so that only the oak core remained. A new
head and hands of polyester by Louisa Bolt
were add in 1971. The gates to the
chantry chapel are by Roger Johnson and
were constructed in 1430-32.

He was son of
William de Valance (q.v.) and hence
cousin to Edward II, to whom he remained
loyal in their war with their cousin
Thomas of Lancaster (son of Edmund
Crouchback) and was present when
Lancaster was judged guilty of treason
after the battle of Boroughbridge. He
held estates both in England and in
France where he died.The weepers around
the tomb chest remain and the Earl's
effigy is represented in the armour of
the period. His surcoat is with the
Lusignan arms.Above is a fine
canopy on which the Earl is represented
fully armed and on horseback.

William
de Valance was the son of Isabelle of Angoulême,
King John's widow, and hence half brother to
King Henry III. The tomb is the only English
example of Limoges champlevé enamel work. The
effigy and tomb chest are of oak and once were
both covered by enamelled copper plates, mostly
now lost from the chest although not on the
effigy.

Sir Humphrey Bourchierwas
killed at the Battle of Barnet fighting for
Edward IV. The brass effigy is lost but the
helm and shields remain. On low tomb chest

John of Eltham was the 2nd
son of Edward II and was three times regent when
Edward III was absent. Alabaster effigy,
probably by the same artist who made Edward II's
effigy. Note the weepers around the tomb chest.
The canopy was broken in 1776 and unfortunately
removed.

John Philip Kemble (d.
1823)represented as Cato by J Flaxman
and finished after the latter's death by J E
Hinchliffe. The monument originally stood in the
North Transept. Kemble was buried in Lausanne,
Switzerland. He was a celebrated actor and was born in
Prescot, Lancashire (my home town), where Kemble Street,
is named after him. I remember a plaque on the house
where he was born.John William (Strutt) 3rd
Baron Rayleigh OM PRS (d.1919)He succeeded
James Clerk Maxwell as Cavendish Professor of
Experimental Physics at Cambridge and was Chancellor
1908-10. He was joint discoverer of the noble gas Argon
for which he was rewarded the Nobel Prize. The bust
relief is by Francis Derwent Wood.Sir Humphrey Davy Bt FRS
(d. 1829) Tablet by Sir F Chantrey. A
Cornishman, he invented the famous miners' lamp that was
named after him and from which he refused to profit. He
discovered the elements K, Na, B, Ca, Ba and Cd. He also
discovered the anaesthetic effect of nitrous oxide -
which is still used today. Teacher of Michael Faraday.
Buried at Geneva. Mathew Baillie MD (d.
1823) Physician and anatomist. Buried at
Duntisbourne Abbey, Gloucestershire. Bust by Sir Francis
Chantrey.

Cardinal Simon de Langham (1376)
Abbot of Westminster, later Chancellor of
England and still later Archbishop of
Canterbury. When he was made a cardinal he was
obliged to resign as archbishop and join the
Papal court. By Henry Yevele & Stephen Lote.
Canopy destroyed at the coronation of George I
but much of the brass inscription remains.

This Cosmatic tomb-chest lies
between the Chapels of St Edmund and St Benedict
and dates from the last quarter of the
thirteenth century. Recent research has revealed
that it was almost certainly originally in the
Chapel of St Edward the Confessor and made for
one of the sons of Edward I, either
John of Windsor (1271) or
Alfonso (1284)

The recumbent
effigy is of Lord John Thynne (1881)
Cleric. Third son of the 2nd Marquis of Bath. He was
Canon of Westminster for 49 years and Sub-dean for 46.
Buried at Haynes, Beds. By H H Armstead.
Above are five roundels, from left to right:Sir George Gabriel Stokes,
1st Bt, PRS (1903) Mathematician. Like Newton
he was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge
and MP Cambridge. (and, like Newton, never spoke in the
house) Stoke's law is a simple equation in fluid
mechanics. Bronze bust by Sir W H Thornycroft.John Couch Adams FRS
(1892) Mathematician and Astronomer. He
predicted the existence of the planet Neptune based on
the movement of Uranus and Newton's Law of Gravitation.
Marble bust by A Bruce JoyJoseph Lister OM FRS 1st
Baron Lister (1912) Surgeon. Pioneer of
antiseptic treatment, reducing the appalling death rate
from infection following surgery. Buried at Hamstead.
White marble bust by Sir T Brock.Alfred Russel Wallace OM
FRS (1913) Naturalist. He formulated a theory
of evolution by natural selection independently of
Darwin. In 1858 he and Darwin publicly announced in a
join paper to the Linnean Society. White marble bust by
A Bruce JoyCharles Robert Darwin FRS (1882)
Naturalist. Famous as the author of Origin of Species
and the theory of evolution by natural selection. Buried
in north aisle of nave near Newton. Bronze bust by
Sir J E Boehm.

From left to right:Sarah English (1729)
attrib to
Robert HartshorneBishop Womack (1685/86) attrib to
Grinling GibbonsRobert Stewart (1714) Designed byJames Gibbs;
attrib toAndrew CarpenterJohn Churchill (1715)

Sir John Cross (1762)

Sir Peter Parker (1814)
Signed by P Prosperi

Dr Patrick Colquhorn LL D
(1820) by C H Smith

Mary Brocas (1654)
Attrib to Joshua Marshall

Modern tablet in memory of
General-at-Sea Robert Blake and the plaque
outside the church to those ejected from the Cromwell
Vault in Westminster Abbey at the Restoration. This
latter was placed by the Cromwell Association.